Indonesia quake

A strong earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale rocked eastern Indonesia's Sulawesi region early yesterday, sparking panic in seaside communities as residents fearing a tsunami fled their homes for higher ground.

The Indonesian Meteorological and Geophysical Agency in Jakarta said the quake was large enough to cause casualties, damage and a tsunami, although there were no immediate reports of any deaths or big waves. The quake struck at around 8 a.m.

In one part of Buton island, women and children wept as they fled to an old palace on a nearby hill, leading news channel Radio El Shinta said. It was unclear how many people live on the island.

A rescuer later told Radio El Shinta that no one was injured due to the quake which was followed by dozens of mild tremors.

The tremor followed a massive earthquake of magnitude 9.0 off Indonesia's Aceh province on Sumatra island on December 26 that triggered huge tsunami waves that left widespread devastation.

As many as 300,000 people around the Indian Ocean area are feared to have died in the disaster. More than 240,000 are dead or listed as missing in Aceh, where hundreds of bodies are still be recovered every day almost eight weeks later.